VANCOUVER — Betting on himself has paid off for Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen.
The 29-year-old Finn signed his first long-term NHL deal on Friday — a five-year extension with the Canucks. The contract carries an average annual value of US$4.5 million.
"Obviously a good reward for all the hard work I kind of put in ever since I started playing hockey when I was three years old," he said of the deal. "I'm really grateful for the commitment and the trust from the management, just to sign and how they kind of put faith in me not just for this year but the years to come.”
Lankinen signed a one-year, $875,000 contract with the Canucks (26-18-11) as a free agent on Sept. 21, when training camps across the league were already well underway.
The six-foot-two, 190-pound goalie from Helsinki had spent the last two seasons with the Nashville Predators, backing up all-star Juuse Saros, and last summer, he wanted to find the right place to flourish. That meant turning down offers he felt weren't the right fit.
"I felt like when I started talking with Vancouver, there was really something there," he said. "So I kind of left the safe and familiar behind me and stepped into the unknown and made sure that the preparations were there. Whatever opportunity showed up, I was gonna be ready for it.”
Midway through his first season with the Canucks, Lankinen has set career highs in wins (19) and shutouts (four).
He's posted a 19-8-7 record, a 2.53 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage in 34 games. He also became the first goalie in NHL history to start a season 10-0-0 on the road.
“Kevin has done a great job for us in net this season,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said in a release. “Right from the start of the year, he has shown a strong desire to compete and a willingness to do whatever it takes to win hockey games. A good leader and teammate, we wouldn’t be in the position we are in right now without his strong play.”
Vancouver signed Lankinen as a backup for star goalie Thatcher Demko but the 29-year-old American has repeatedly been sidelined by injuries this season.
Demko missed training camp and the beginning of the campaign with a knee injury, then sat out with back spasms before seeming to find his rhythm out of the Christmas break.
He's played just 17 games through the 2024-25 campaign, posting a 6-6-3 record with a .891 save percentage, a 2.87 goals-against average and one shutout.
The 29-year-old goalie from San Diego, Calif., was hurt yet again on Feb. 8 in Vancouver's 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canucks announced on Tuesday that Demko is considered week to week with a lower-body injury and will not travel on the team's upcoming five-game road swing, beginning Saturday against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas.
“Obviously, (Demko's) been dealing with his own stuff, which can be really hard mentally. But he's been super supportive ever since day one," Lankinen said. "He was one of the first guys to text me today when they announced the contract, which kind of shows he’s a class act."
Working alongside Demko — a finalist for last season's Vézina Trophy, awarded annually to the league's top netminder — has helped Lankinen grow his game.
"He’s one of the best goalies in the world, he’s showed that over the years, and just seeing him from a close range and being able to learn from him has been awesome," Lankinen said. "I think moving forward, it's a good thing for me, where you're going to push each other to get better. And I think that will help the team win in the long term.”
After originally signing with the Chicago Blackhawks as an undrafted free agent in 2018, Lankinen has played 146 regular-season games with a 64-51-19 record across five seasons. He also suited up for Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off last week.
The milestones he's hit this season are built on a career of hard work, Lankinen said.
“I've been preparing for this opportunity for a long time," he said.
"The trust and the faith in myself has always been there. So it's not like I'm surprised in any way. I'm just happy I've been able to showcase myself to the management and the coaches here and obviously the people around the world that I can be a top goalie in this league.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2025.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
